Midwest becomes next theater in Democrats' progressive vs. moderate fight

By — Matt Brown, Associated Press Matt Brown, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/midwest-becomes-next-theater-in-democrats-progressive-vs-moderate-fight Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Midwest becomes next theater in Democrats' progressive vs. moderate fight Politics Jul 13, 2026 2:17 PM EDT ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesotans are known for their niceness, but pleasantries are rare in the state's Democratic U.S. Senate primary. The two leading candidates, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, have clashed over electability, their ties to corporate interests and willingness to fight Republican President Donald Trump's administration in Washington. Millions of dollars in political ads have blanketed televisions and phone screens for a race that has become emblematic of Democrats' deeper divides. The increasingly bitter contest will be among the next races where progressive candidates are facing more moderate rivals. August primaries in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota will be another gauge of Democratic voters' frustration with the establishment. The races across the Upper Midwest may also offer another test of the electability of hard-left candidates. After notable progressive successes so far this year, party leaders worry these candidates could damage Democrats' brand and imperil their chances of retaking either chamber of Congress this fall or maintaining the governor's mansion in a battleground state ahead of the 2028 presidential election. The progressive left says recent results prove their message is the party's path to victory. Flanagan, who is backed by progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, last week convened a press conference to condemn "secretive dark money groups and special interests" she says are at work in the Minnesota race. She argued the groups are working to elect Craig, a more conventional Democrat backed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and other senior Democratic leaders. WATCH: Progressives notch more primary victories in potential bellwether for midterms "What we are facing right now in our party," Flanagan told The Associated Press, "is the very folks who are standing in the way of the things that people need to be able to afford their lives, who are Democrats, are funded by these corporate special interests. That is the choice I think that we have, and people are onto it." Craig counters that Flanagan raised campaign funds from major companies while chair of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association. She says that if Flanagan becomes the Democratic nominee, Republicans would focus on her ties to an ongoing fraud inquiry into the state's Medicaid programs. "The coalition we're building is people in Minnesota who understand that in order to stop Donald Trump, we've got to win elections," Craig told the AP. She warned that Minnesota is